Artificial intelligence in the fight against river blindness

In order to evaluate the success of treatments against onchocerciasis, the nodules must be removed from the patient's skin and analyzed. Using microscopes, experts examine thin histological sections from these nodules in order to assess sex, vitality and embryonic development of the nematodes and the presence of the endosymbiotic bacteria. This process is very time-consuming and the results depends directly on the experience of the people making the assessments. The research group of Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz at IMMIP in collaboration with Dr. Daniel Kuehlwein of Capgemini, intend to develop an AI system that will automate the evaluation of histological sections. The AI system will learn how to recognize and evaluate worms from microscope images of histological sections. Exploiting this know-how, our scientists aim to reduce the time required for the evaluation and establish an objective standard for the analysis. To read the full press release, click on either English or German